Rockets to sign RJ Hunter to two-way contract

The Houston Rockets are signing RJ Hunter to a two-way contract, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.

The standard two-way contract allows for Hunter to spend up to 45 days over an entire season with the Rockets, with the rest of any time under contract needing to be spent in the G-League.

A former first-round pick of the Boston Celtics in 2015, Hunter has never panned out in the pros after a strong college career at Georgia State. He played 36 games of his rookie season in 2015-16 with the Celtics, then played in three games last season with the Chicago Bulls, averaging 2.5 points in just 8.3 minutes a game for his NBA career.

Hunter has been product this season with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, averaging 19.0 points per game and launching nearly 10 three-pointers a contest at 36.9% from deep in 23 games. He also averaged 1.7 steals.

Lean and lanky at 6-foot-6 and 185 pounds, Hunter is a scorer. It’s hard to see him gaining the trust of Mike D’Antoni anytime soon, but this seemed the inevitable move once the Vipers, the Rockets’ G-League affiliate, acquired Hunter in a trade in October. You rarely see the Vipers make actual trades for players unless the Rockets have some level of interest.